The invention relates to a rotating leaf system and/or a sliding rotating leaf system which can be locked. Such systems, especially sliding rotating leaf systems, such as systems for enclosing a balcony with glass, for dividing a room, for providing shade, etc., require a lock which secures the system against an unintended opening or swiveling of a leaf. The lock locks the leaf to the system frame.
For this purpose, in the case of systems which are used in practice, two mutually opposite disposed locking bars are provided which, in the case of rotating leaves, can be swiveled about a vertical axis of rotation. The locking bars are placed at an upper and a lower edge laterally on the rotating leaf and engage lugs or clasps, placed on a system frame and assigned to the locking bars or, correspondingly, fittings having an opening for the locking bars. For each locking bar there is an actuating handle. To open the leaf system, both handles must be actuated simultaneously and, at the same time, the leaves caused to swivel or slide. This requires both hands of the person operating the system and it is frequently regarded as a deficiency that actually a third hand would be required to initiate the swiveling or sliding motion of the leaf. In addition, smaller persons consider it very inconvenient to operate large leaves, since the span of the arms in some cases is hardly sufficient for reaching both handles of the locking bars simultaneously.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a leaf system, which can be locked and is more convenient to operate and, in particular, is more convenient to open.
The present invention provides a connection of two locking bars by a common actuating element which, when a tensile force is exerted in the direction in which a leaf is opened, retracts the locking bars into a position releasing the leaf, and enables the leaf system to be opened with one hand which, by means of the actuating element, unlocks and, at the same time, initiates the swiveling or sliding motion of the leaf.
Preferably, the actuating element is developed flexibly, so that an actuation by tension at any convenient region of the actuating element is possible without having to provide a particular handle height or the like. With that, persons of different size can take hold of the actuating element at a height and position convenient for them. A flexible actuating element can be realized most easily and inexpensively by a rope which, because of its stability and the absence largely of wear, can be a steel rope.
Further advantages and details arise out of the dependent claims and from an example of the invention, which is described below and shown in the accompanying drawings.